Lyft, Uber Drivers Ensured Paid Leave, Jobless Aid in Washington

Washington state’s Lyft and Uber drivers will become the first in the US to have guaranteed access to paid family and medical leave at the rideshare companies’ expense, under legislation Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed into law.

The new law (HB 1570) will ensure drivers have access to unemployment insurance as well as the state’s paid family and medical leave program. The measure enacted Monday is a follow-up to Washington’s one-of-a-kind 2022 law that guarantees rideshare drivers minimum pay and certain benefits while locking in their employment status as independent contractors, as opposed to traditional employees of the ...